A season of lows for the Victoria Royals plumbed new depths Wednesday night at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops in an 11-1 Western Hockey League loss to the Blazers.
The Royals were outshot 23-4 in the first period and 39-7 after two periods and did their starting goaltender Braden Holt no favours. Victoria trailed 5-0 after the first period and 10-0 after the second.
The Royals, missing five regulars to injury, tied a franchise record for most goals allowed in a game in matching an 11-3 away loss to the Vancouver Giants in 2011-12.
“Everything they [Blazers] threw at the net found its way in,” said Royals head coach Dan Price.
“It’s one of those games when it rains it pours. It’s one of the toughest games I’ve been through. It was a hard game with that many guys missing.”
The Royals (15-42-7) have missed the playoffs for the second successive season, after placing last in the pandemic bubble season before that. They will play out the string in Prince George on Friday and Saturday against the Cougars and close out with a home and home set the following weekend against Everett.
The Blazers (45-11-6) are preparing to host the 2023 Memorial Cup in May and have loaded up for it by trading away much of their future. They will worry about that next year. They are certainly potent right now with their 18th victory in their last 19 games.
Dallas Stars draft pick Matthew Seminoff had a season Wednesday with four goals and four assists. Minnestoa Wild-prospect Caedan Bankier, gold medallist with Canada this year in the world junior championship, had three goals and three assists. The Blazers blew out the Royals even without Stars-prospect and two-time Canada world junior champion Logan Stankoven in the lineup.
Royals forward Carter Dereniwsky, coming out of the penalty box, ruined Kamloops goaltender Dylan Ernst’s shutout bid with just 25 seconds remaining in the game.
Victoria lost the season series 2-7 to Kamloops.
